Profit in the Portuguese insurance sector profit more than doubled to €350 million in 2017 compared to 2016, with the volume of direct insurance increasing 4.1% to €10.701 billion, according to the sector regulator.

The government is to extend the pilot area for oceanic renewable energies from Tuesday, in order to make the development of the Windfloat wind energy project off Viana do Castelo viable, according to an order published in the Diário da República bulletin.

Youthstream gladly announces that Polisport will again be on board for the 2018 MXGP season after renewing their agreement. Polisport is a master in the production of after-market plastic parts and accessories.

Speaking at a meeting of the African, Caribbean and Pacific Group of States (ACP) at the WTO’s headquarters on 15 February, Director-General Roberto Azevêdo urged members to be ready to explore fresh perspectives and new pathways which may help move negotiations forward at the WTO.

Portugueseurban artist Alexandre Farto aka Vhils (most famous for his Scratching the Surface project where he carves massive art pieces on walls through a method he calls ‘creative deconstruction’) officially opened his new exhibition inLisbon on 1 February.

The seventh review of the trade policies and practices of Malaysia takes place on 14 and 16 February 2018. The basis for the review is a report by the WTO Secretariat and a report by the Government of Malaysia.

Brexit, as the UK’s decision to exit the European Union (EU) is commonly known, is weighing on the economy, even as growth is accelerating in the rest of the world. Higher prices, caused by a weaker pound, have limited increases in people’s spending, and uncertainty about the future relationship with the EU has kept some business investments on hold. In this situation, it will be even more important for the UK to raise productivity and balance its public finances, the IMF said in its latest annual assessment of the economy.

Ninety-five abstracts received during the Call for Papers reveal the increasing interest of the footwear industry for the UITIC Congress. The 20th edition of the International Technical Footwear Congress will take place in Porto from the 16th to the 18th of May.

Young. Modern. Sophisticated. This is the new Portuguese leather goods and saddlery industry. After decades of exclusive subcontract work for the main international brands of the specialty, the sector is now investing on the development and production of excellence leather goods.

Portugal continues to strengthen its presence at the biggest footwear exhibition worldwide. In total, 94 companies will integrate the national committee at MICAM, which takes place from 11 to 14 February, and at MIPEL (accessories exhibition).

A promotional film "Portugal in 150 Seconds: Industry - Stream Consulting" created and produced by Lua Filmes. AICEP is an official partner of this project, which promotes Portuguese industries, companies and institutions.

EPO President Benoît Battistelli met with Argentina's Commerce Secretary Miguel Braun on 5 February in Buenos Aires to discuss recent developments in patents and innovation and the co-operation between the two regions in this field.

Portugal-based The Navigator Company, a leading producer of uncoated woodfree printing and writing paper, aims to further deepen its commercial ties in the Gulf at the upcoming Paperworld Middle East in Dubai, UAE.

Iki Mobile's cork-mobile phone factory in Coruche opened on 6 February and is expected to produce between 34,000 and 36,000 devices monthly in the first months, CEO Tito Cardoso told Lusa. He said that when the factory is fully operational, production will reach 100,000 mobile phones per month.

Ministers and high-level officials from Barbados, Côte d’Ivoire, Jamaica, Malaysia, Panama and Tunisia have today signed the BEPS Multilateral Convention bringing the total number of signatories to 78. This Convention updates the existing network of bilateral tax treaties and reduces opportunities for tax avoidance by multinational enterprises.

The government of China is contributing USD 1 million (approximately CHF 1 million) to help developing and least-developed countries implement the WTO’s Trade Facilitation Agreement and to support the objective of full implementation of the Agreement by all WTO members.

TAP Air Portugal is planning to add more air connections between the Azores, Madeira and mainland Portugal, including opening new routes between the Azores and airports in North America, TAP Air Portugal majority shareholder, David Neeleman, told LUSA news.

The Portuguese Sea Minister has predicted that 2018 will see a new record in the number of cruise ships docking in the country. Lisbon, Leixões and Portimão all revealed strong growth in 2017, with work at the Algarve port set to increase its capacity even further.

The Lisbon Summit, a two-day conference taking place on Tuesday 13th and Wednesday 14th March at Hotel Cascais Miragem, Cascais, Portugal, will provide delegates with insights into Portugal’s economic and business prospects and with the opportunity to question and network with top political and business leaders.

Speaking at the invitation of the Friends of MSMEs at a meeting on 30 January, Director-General Roberto Azevêdo said that the launch of the Informal Working Group on MSMEs (micro, small and medium-sized enterprises) was one of the highlights of the Ministerial Conference in Buenos Aires.

Contract development and manufacturing organisation (CDMO), Hovione, has announced that its MG2 Tekna Precision Capsule filling unit is now online in its Portugal facility, complementing its offering in encapsulation for inhalation products.

An investment plan worth DZD42 billion of the Public Group of Mechanical Industry (AGM) reached an 80% achievement and is planned to be completed in late 2018, AGM’s CEO Bachir Dehimi said in an interview to APS.

As the Centre assists EU SMEs to enter the Chinese market, this webinar on seafood market provides hands-on information that will be applied for understanding the market, gaining more Chinese domestic customers and achieving a successful business.

For this new episode of our Savoir-Faire series, we head to Portugal and the city of Porto. We meet Liliana Guerreiro, a contemporary jewellery designer who is putting back into fashion a thousand-year-old technique.

There are now less than two month left for the first ever Big Science Business Forum in Copenhagen. Here nine of Europe’s largest Big Science organisations – CERN, EMBL, ESA, ESO, ESRF, ESS, European XFEL, F4E, and ILL – have come together to create Big Science Business Forum 2018 (BSBF2018). We want to contribute to a stronger, more transparent and consolidated Big Science market in Europe for the benefit of both Big Science and businesses.

The Russian economy has recovered from recent economic setbacks and low commodity prices and has seen increasing wages, decreasing interest rates and, by many measures, a strong macroeconomic foundation for future growth.

Time is running out for action to stem climate change and, while the world is still debating whether the change is real, weather migrants and refugees are becoming a reality, experts told a session on environmental risks at the World Economic Forum.

The number of overnight stays in tourist establishments in the European Union (EU) increased by 5.1% in 2017 compared with the year before, with Portugal seeing the fourth largest increase, Eurostat said on Wednesday.

Portugal’s economy is growing in sectors from agriculture to software -- not just tourism -- and attracting investor interest from France and Germany to China and India, Economy Minister Manuel Caldeira Cabral said in an interview on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum in Davos on Tuesday.